Speak up against coal exports, Monday in Portland.

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Attend Senator Wyden's August 13th listening session and speak up against coal exports.

Speak up against coal exports, Monday in Portland.

Dear Friend,

The coal industry's plan to radically increase coal exports through Oregon is quickly becoming a hot political issue, with Governor Kitzhaber,1 Senator Merkley 2 and both of Portland's mayoral candidates3 recently expressing serious concerns about the environmental impacts and threats to Oregon families.

But Senator Ron Wyden has been mostly silent on the issue, vaguely calling for a "time out" on coal exports but stopping short of requesting a comprehensive review of environmental impacts,4 as dozens of other elected officials in the region have.5

On Monday, Senator Wyden is hosting a listening session to hear what Oregonians think about coal exports and the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade agreement, which as currently written would pave the way for coal export projects.5 Let's make sure Senator Wyden knows that Oregon residents expect him to take a much stronger role in the fight against dirty coal exports.

Once you RSVP to attend the listening session, I'll send you some suggested talking points and background information on the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

The coal industry is desperate to sell American coal to China and other Asian countries — and the most direct route to those markets runs directly through Oregon.

With billions of dollars in profits at stake, the coal industry will do everything in its power to win approval for constructing massive coal export terminals on the Columbia River and along the Oregon coast. But these proposals are a bad deal for Oregon and they would threaten much of the environmental progress the state has made in recent years.

In order to stop these misguided proposals, we're going to need steadfast opposition from Oregon's Democratic politicians. Senator Wyden's relative silence on the issue of coal exports so far has been disappointing, but the fact that he's soliciting input from Oregonians is a step in the right direction.

I hope you can attend Monday's listening session in Portland to make it clear to Senator Wyden that Oregonians don't want radically increased coal exports or the dangerous pollution they'd bring to Oregon.